Chicago: Police Announce Drop in Overall Crime in First Quarter of 2013

Chicago Police Announce Drop in Overall Crime in First Quarter of 2013 Total Crime Down 8 Percent Citywide Through End of March

CHICAGO – The City of Chicago saw an 8 percent drop in overall crime in the first quarter of 2013 compared to the same period last year. The decrease continues a trend from 2012, in which overall crime in Chicago dropped 8 percent over the course of the year. Since 2011, overall crime in the city is down 15 percent.
“We are continuing to see progress in reducing crime throughout Chicago,” said Superintendent Garry F. McCarthy. “There is more work to do and our officers will continue to build on these results by working closely with our communities, executing our strategic policing plans and targeting those who break the law.”
Chicago’s murder rate fell 69 percent in March, with 36 fewer murders in the city than in March 2012. This continues a six month trend of a declining murder rate. For the first quarter of 2013 overall there were 50 fewer murders than the first quarter of last year, a drop of 42 percent. Going back six months to the beginning of the fourth quarter 2012, the murder rate has dropped 28 percent. Shooting incidents have significantly decreased in 2013, down 27 percent from the first quarter of 2012.